Braised Pork Cushion

Cushion meat comes from the pork shoulder (picnic) anterior side of the humerus bone; It is a three dimensional triangle in shape...sometimes called the pork tri tip; it is lean lean and flavorful.

                                                            

I like to use the cushion because it has the same great flavors of the whole shoulder but the size makes it easy to handle and it is fully braised in 2 to 3 hours.

You absolutely need a very heavy bottomed pan to brown the meat. All clad and or Le Creuset are my choices. They need to be deep to hold the meat and braising liquid and have a good lid.

Browning the meat before starting the braise is the most intense part of this recipe, and the step most people skip or are not aggressive enough to get the fullest flavor. The meat should be golden brown all over, it takes some time and high heat, the oil shouldn’t burn, but it is close.

Ingredients

4 lbs pork cushion meat

1/2 cup olive oil

2 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp fresh ground black pepper

2 tsp ground fennel seed

1 tsp ground rosemary

2 cloves garlic

1 cup diced celery

1/2 cup diced carrots

1 cup diced onion

1 14.5 oz can of good diced tomatoes with juice

4 cups low sodium chicken broth

2 cups dry white wine

Pre heat oven to 350F.

Pat the cushion meat dry with a paper towel. Rub the meat with a little olive oil.

Take all of the dry herbs and spices and mix them together and generously rub all over the oiled cushion meat.

Get your pan hot and add the remaining olive oil, brown each piece of meat individually on all sides, then set aside. Do not be shy about this the browning gives all of the great flavor. Adjust your heat as needed to prevent burning, but keep it hot.

After all of the meat is browned add the celery, carrots and onion, stir and scrape all of those little bits off the bottom of the pan. The liquid from the veggies should be enough to get most of this released. Don’t burn the veggies but give them some color. Add the garlic for about a minute then put in the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes on high heat until they thicken a little and deepen in color, add the wine. Bring back to a boil.

Place the meat back into the pan and add enough chicken stock to bring the liquid to about 2/3 up the side of the meat. Make sure the liquid is boiling, cover tightly and put in the oven about 2 hours.

Let the cushion rest in the liquid for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Homemade Ricotta

I have been making fresh Ricotta at home for several years. It is so easy and after you get a couple of basic tools the expense is far less than buying good quality Ricotta at any store.

There are only 4 ingredients.

1 gallon of fresh whole milk
4 cups of cultured buttermilk
1 tbsp of kosher salt
Juice from 1/2 medium size lemon

You need a sturdy non reactive pot large enough for 2 gallons and some cheesecloth. Also nice to have are plastic cheese molds from any cheesemaking supply store. This is not absolutely necessary, but it makes the process easier and faster. A good sized slotted spoon . Mine is stainless steel about 4" in diameter. The spoon makes putting the curds in the baskets really easy. And while you are getting the hang of this an instant read thermometer will take away some of the guess work.

Pour the cold milk, cold buttermilk and add the salt to the pot. Stir to make sure everything is mixed up. Turn the heat to medium high. You want this mixture to heat up evenly and relatively quickly, but not scorch the milk. Stir occasionally to assure everything is coming to temperature evenly.

When the temperature reaches 110 F add the lemon juice and stir gently to mix evenly. Do not stir again, stirring breaks the curds and dramatically changes the texture. Contnue to heat until you see a break of curds and whey. A sort of greenish thin liquid is the whey. This usually happens at about 175F and you should remove from the heat.

If you heat above this the milk scorches and the texture gets grainy and dry, if you are much below this the yield is less, still tastes good, but you want to maximize the yield.

Let the mixture cool a little and rest. Use the slotted spoon to place the curds into a cheese cloth lined strainer of some sort and let drain for 30 minutes or so. I like to put the cheese in the refrigerator, uncovered for a few hours, it allows it to come together. Then store it wrapped in plastic.

Once you have done this a couple of times the process is quick and easy. Experiment with herbs and spices. You never knew Ricotta could taste so good.

Porchetta San Diego Style

It was June 2006 when I discovered Porchetta. More precisely Porchetta in the style of Panzano, Chianti, Tuscany, Italy. More specifically in the manner of Dario Cecchini.

We were staying in a rented house south of Firenze near Montespertoli. It was great location for our way of travel. Each day we could make a drive to a local market, pick up the freshest of the fresh, then return and cook dinner with our bounty.

Antica Macelleria Antica Cecchini was on our radar and fortunately it was open on Sunday market day, perfetto! In 2006 Dario Cecchini was known to Italian Slow Foodies, soon after our visit he and the macelleria were featured everywhere, for good reason.

It was at Antica Macelleria Cecchini this most delectable pork creation was featured. It became my goal to recreate and share this with everyone I knew. Unfortunately no pictures were taken of the entire Porchetta, but here is a picture of the slice we took back for lunch.

The quest began to recreate this wonderful, moist, flavorful pork delight in San Diego, California.

Pictures were shared with my butcher at Iowa Meat Farms and many hours searching the internet to no avail. Now remember, this was 5 years ago. Today Porchetta restaurants are coming up everywhere. There has even been a feature article on Food Channel. But when I was looking, nothing! Until, page 251 of Bill Bufords HEAT. The secret was revealed.

Where am I going to get the torso, skin on, of a 300 pound pig? (that has been properly inspected). And where will this wonderful delicacy be roasted?

Compromise.

An 80 pound suckling pig.

Deboned.

Ready to roast.

Ready to eat!

Porchetta di Panzano?

Porchetta di San Diego?

Comment if you have any questions. Or email ken@gusti-giusti.com.

Why Peschici

Everyone asks us “How did you decide on Peschici?”

We had a couple of business requirements for this trip and one of them was to complete the documents for my Italian citizenship. That required a trip to Atripalda, Avellino, Campania, Italy and visit with the local registrar. The question was where to we go from there.Two years ago our travels had taken us to Sui Dui Golfi on the Sorrento peninsula, in Atripalda we were only 164 kilometers (about 2 hours) from the Adriatic and we wanted to explore Puglia, go east young man.

A second part of business was to visit Radicondili and see the home of Il Campo cooking school in Tuscany, so driving time for the 3rd leg of our trip was a consideration.

Peschici is a town on the spur of the Italian boot, the Gargano Promontory. It is situated on the eastern most tip of the peninsula nestled into the Foresta Umbra. On the map it looked like a good place to use as a base to visit Monte Sant’Angelo (the grotto of Archangel Michael) and the Padre Pio shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo Padre Pio. Then take a longer day trip south to Castel del Monte, Alberobello (to see the Trulli).

It looked good on the map, and the town is beautiful, the drive into and out of Peschici has some spectacular views, but it is challenging. Generally driving the Italian countryside and smaller towns does not concern me, but the blind curves and switchbacks here more than doubled driving time compared to distance. Then thinking about the drive made each excursion and return a major effort. This reduced our travels, but we did discover da Celestina Ristorante, and if you like the beach, see the pictures on the Peschici post.

Emanuela la Podere La Fonte Torta

The planning of this trip actually began in March 2011. Marlane Miriello shared this recipe for Torta Pasqualina with me so it could be prepared for the membership of the House of Italy in Balboa Park San Diego, California. The idea was to demonstrate the authentic food being prepared and served in the Il Campo cooking school.

What it did for me was add Radicondili to my list of places to go in Tuscany. And to make the experience even more cohesive, Emanuela at Podere La Fonte where we stayed is the guest instructor that originated this recipe and taught it during one of the week long courses, perfetto.

                             Torta Pasqualina

For the filling:

1 ½         pounds                   fresh spinach or swiss chard leaves -- washed thoroughly

1              pound                    ricotta cheese (ideally made from fresh
½             cup                         finely grated parmesan cheese
2                                             eggs + 1 egg white
 ¼            tsp.                         ground nutmeg
                                               salt and pepper to taste
2              tblsp.                     whole fennel seeds

 For the crust:

3              cups                       whole wheat or white all-purpose flour
½             cup                         olive oil
1              pinch                     salt
Water or ricotta as desired -- enough to blend the dough

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit .. 176 celcius

Preparing the crust:

Place the flour and salt in a food processor.
Turn on the food processor and slowly add the olive oil. Blend until the mixture becomes well-blended and mealy.

Add either the water or ricotta, with the food processor on, one

tablespoon at a time until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.

Remove from food processor and place in a covered bowl for at least thirty minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured marble slab or pastry board until it is very large, approximately 20" square.

Assembling the tart:

Spoon the filling into the center of the pastry sheet, spreading it out over approximately a 12 X 15" area in the center of the crust.

Fold the wide edges over the filling.  Paint the top of the crust with and egg wash made of egg white and a few drops of water.

Sprinkle 1-2 tbsp. fennel seeds over the top. Bake in the center of a 350 degree oven for approximately one hour, or until golden brown.

Remove from oven, let it cool slightly before serving. Torta Pasqualina is also good served at room temperature or cold.

Cinta Senese

From the first day of planning this trip a visit with Marlane Miriello in Radicondoli, Siena, Tuscany was on the agenda. Marlane is a founder of Il Campo a cooking school based in Radicondoli. We have traveled to Tuscany many times but never in this area. Marlane was kind enough to send us to the village of  Scorgiano, Monteriggioni, Siena, Tuscany to find one of the things on my list, Cinta Senese.

This is the area where Cinta Senese , THE heirloom pork breed of Tuscany, has been reborn. There is a fresco by Ambrogio Lorenzetti called "Effects of Good Government - The well-governed country" in the Palazzo Comunale di Siena, dating back to 1338 depicting the Cinta Senese. The breed is recognized by a dark coat with a white band that covers the front legs and encircles the chest, shoulders and over the back, Cinta (belted) Siena (senese). When you see the Cinta Senese beside the wild boar of Tuscany many of the characteristics remain, even after many genetic changes.

The hills covered with oak forests, providing ample supplies of acorns were the perfect environment for these foraging animals. In fact today, the Cinta Senese must be provided a large open field combined with forest to thrive. If given a choice of human provided grains or foraging the will chose the latter.

Up until the 1950’s nearly every family in the area would raise the breed for fresh meats and salumi. Then came the introduction of the “large white”.  Cross breeding with the Cinta Senese produced an animal that would be ready for market in six months and full maturity in 1 year, while the Cinta Senese took at least a year and up to 2 years to reach maximum weights. This cross breed matured faster and thrived in confinement. By the 1990’s the pure Cinta Senese was almost extinct.

In the late 1990’s a group of farmers (The Consortium of Cinta Senese) decided to purchase and maintain breeding boars with the sole purpose of maintaining the breed. Their efforts are not complete, but there have been great strides in removing the Cinta Senese from the list of endangered species.

Why is so much space dedicated to this one topic? For those that know me, I have consumed my share of pork. It is a travesty what American pork producers have done to the animal in search of the politically correct dining product. In reality we have created a bigger problem than was resolved.

The Cinta is bred and raised in wild or semi-wild, large enclosed forests. They consume natural foods of acorn tubers and other organic materials. This produces a red flesh with a high density of unsaturated fats, including omega 3’s and omega 6. The fat is rich in oleic acid (helps reduce cholesterol). The flavor (fat) is less saturated and allows the smell to emit.

We had the pleasure of tasting this wonderful product at a restaurant directly across the road from the producer, L’Astronave (further description to follow). Cinta Finocchiona, Cinta Coppa, Cinta pork steak.

For those that know me, I have eaten my share of porchetta, pork chops, salumi, pastas with pork ragu in my time, including the Mangalitsa, this is the best pork that has passed these lips ever!!!!

Intro to Podere La Fonte

May 21- May 23, 2011

Defining Peschici is a challenge for me, but Radicondoli comes easy.

Podere La Fonte is our base of operations. It is a short (a little steep) walk up to the village of Radicondoli. The road is stable and even for an old fart like me it is not difficult. Radicondoli has a population of 700 and is situated on a hill in the Tuscan countryside. At night you can see the lights of Volterra and San Gimignano. Florence is one hour away and Siena just forty minutes’ drive thru the back country of Tuscany. More important to me it is in close proximity to the La Cinta Senese. More on that later.

The agriturisimo  is hosted by Emanuela and Marco. Accommodations are rustic, comfortable, authentic Tuscan country life amid olive groves, vineyards and fruit trees. It is a little early in the season, but there are the beginnings of a substantial garden.  Our apartment is self-catering with a small stove, sink and small refrigerator. Other types of rooms are are available see their website at www.poderelafonte.com.

During our stay the cherries were ripening and the fava beans are ready. These fresh perfect delicacies have been added to vitello(veal)from the butcher in the village and a little pasta. Marco produces a tasty, organic, Vino Rosso Toscano and the olive oil from the farm is very good. What more could anyone ask.

This is a good base for exploration if you are interested in being away from the cities. A car is absolutely needed, but the driving is not difficult.

Food and drink reviews next, and la Cinta Senese.